


A Step to the Left

by BoyWhoRunsWithWolves



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Abusive Dursley Family, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Bashing, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Dursley Bashing, Families of Choice, Family, Lori Bashing, M/M, Magic, Protective Daryl, Protective Merle, Protective Rick, Shane Bashing, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-20 04:28:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3636717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoyWhoRunsWithWolves/pseuds/BoyWhoRunsWithWolves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if one small change made a world of difference? What if a young Harry Potter was in the hospital with Rick and could talk to him in his coma? What if Rick becomes a father to one more little boy during a zombie apocalypse? What if that starts the group on a completely different path that leads them to safety, family, love and a better future for all?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

They say that when someone is in a coma that they can hear what you say to them... that it helps them to know that they’re not alone. Rick used to think that was bullshit, that people in comas we’re basically dead to the world until they (if they ever?) woke up once again. But, as it turns out Rick didn’t know much of anything about comas until he was actually in one.

At first it’s all a jumble of emotions and images. He remembers a lot of panic, blood, loud noises, pain, tears and screams. He remembers white walls and bright lamps overhead; he remembers Lori crying and Carl quietly sitting by the bed holding Rick’s hand, he remembers Shane’s jokingly whispered words of him trying to get everyone’s attention once again, resentment lacing through his words in a way that Rick had never heard before. This went on for quite a while, everything blending together and then fuzzing out for long periods of time... until one day everything changed.

“Harry, dear, Mr. Grimes, is in a coma so he just sleeps all day, so he won’t mind you staying in here with him. You’re going to be stay here with Mr. Grimes, since all of the rooms are so filled up with patients with this new flu going around. Once this all blows over we’ll get you your own room again.” Said a woman’s voice, soft and quiet, but with an underlying wobble to it that told Rick she was worried about something. “Do you know what a coma is honey?”

It was quiet for a long while, and then a small, timid voice said, “It’s when someone sleeps so deep that they don’t wake up for a long, long time, Mrs. Janey.”

The voice had a thick, rolling accent to it that reminded Rick of the year he spent in London after college. It was soft and rich, a slight squeak to it from Harry probably being nervous, and so shy that Rick felt his heart break a little at the probable reason behind the timidness.

“That’s about right, Harry. So, because Mr. Grimes is in a coma, he’s just going to lay there and not talk, but I imagine he wouldn’t mind if you talked to him. Probably pretty bored just sleeping there all day, every day with no one to keep him company.”

Rick would snort if he could... that was quite an understatement. Sometimes he felt like he was loosing his mind, unable to move or talk or even open his eyes... He didn’t know how long he’d been there, but it felt like forever some days.

“I don’t mind keeping him company,” Harry whispered shyly, his voice getting a little louder as he no doubt came closer to Rick’s bed.

Rick could here some rippling of fabric, air passing over sheets and moving furniture along the tiled floor. The nurse was probably getting another bed ready for Harry to take over. He wondered what kind of flu would cause so much trouble that they would stick a young kid who seemed fairly healthy in a room with a comatose man?

“Hullo, Mr. Grimes... My name’s Harry Potter. It’s nice to meet you.”

Rick felt a hand touch his, small and surprisingly roughened with calluses for someone so young.

_'Nice to meet you too, Harry.’_

There was a gasp and then Harry squeaked, “I thought you said he wouldn’t talk?”

“Honey, he can’t he’s in a coma, remember? You’re probably just hearing someone talking from another room.” The nurse said with a slight chuckled, her shoes squeaking as she walked away. “Okay, dear, I have to take care of the other patients, but I come back soon.”

“But, I heard him... he said my name!” Harry exclaimed, but the door was already closed with a soft thump.

_‘Can you hear me, Harry?’_

“Of course, I can, you’re talking to me.” Harry whispered as he jumped up on the bed.

Rick felt tiny little hands patting his cheeks and raising up his eye lids, he saw a brief flash of a cute little boy with bright green eyes and wild black hair before his lids were closed once again.

_‘I’m not talking with my mouth, Harry... you’re hearing my thoughts.’_

Another gasp. “Uncle told me not to do anything freakish while I was here, oh no he’s gonna’ be so mad.”

_‘What do you mean “freakish”, Harry?’_

Rick felt the bed dip and the brush of breath on his ear as Harry whispered to him. “I just... I’ve always been different and things happen around me that I can’t explain like talking to animals or making my hair grow really fast or my broken bones being better when I wake up in the morning. Once my cousin Dudley was chasing me with his friends, they were throwing rocks at me and were gonna’ hurt me more because I was a freak... and I was hurt already, so I wished really really hard that I was somewhere else and then the next second I was on the roof of the school.” Harry whispered into Rick’s ear, his secret shame of being a “freak”.

Rick’s mind was running a mile a minute at hearing those words, he’d seen a lot of strange things in his life, especially that year he’s lived in London... but this? This was different... but it wasn’t “freakish”.

_‘Harry, you listen to me... You’re not a freak, you’re just different that’s all, you hear me?’_

Rick could barely understand the concept of what Harry could do, but one thing that wasn’t a mystery was that Harry’s uncle and cousin seemed to consider him a freak, and Rick wouldn’t stand for that. Letting a little boy like Harry feel weird and unloved because he was different, that just wasn’t acceptable in his book.  

“But, Uncle said I’m a freak just like me parents were and that all the freaks like me need to be put down-”

_‘Harry, I’ve never met your uncle, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say he doesn’t like a lot of things, right? He’s mean to anybody and everybody who’s different than him?’_

There was a giggle. “He’s got something to say about everybody. He doesn’t like freaks like me, he doesn’t like anybody who isn’t Christian, he doesn’t like “fags” whatever those are, he doesn’t like “overly cheery wankers” like our next door neighbor, he doesn’t like-”

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Rick found himself laughing, at least in his mind.

_‘Okay, okay, you’ve made my point!’_ Rick chuckled, _‘You’re uncle seems to have a problem with a lot of people, not just people who are special like you... So what does that say to you?’_

It was quiet as Harry thought about Rick’s question.

“...that Uncle isn’t happy with anybody and that just ‘cause I’m different doesn’t mean that’s bad like Uncle says it is?”

_‘You got it, Harry. Being different is good, the world would be boring if we were all the same. And, you being different gave me someone to talk to instead of talking in my head and nobody actually hearing it. I like that you’re different, Harry.’_

From one moment to the next Rick felt a weight on his body as two small arms wrapped around him. Harry hugged him him tight, Rick felt a small tremble and a sniffle.

“Thank you, Mr. Grimes.”

_‘My name’s Rick, kid... Calling me Mr. Grimes makes me feel old.’_

Rick heard another tinkling giggle and if he could have, he would have smiled.

* * *

 

For the next few weeks, things began to get worse, but Rick was sure that whatever he heard about from the confines of his bed and from Harry was just the tip of the iceberg. The flu that the nurse had talked about that first day had quickly proved itself to be nothing like the flu as people started dying from an unknown infection and then rising from the dead with an unquenchable hunger for flesh. It was a plot from a horror novel, but as the epidemic seemed to get worse Rick couldn’t help but realize that it was all to real.

The problem seemed to be localized as of right now, in bigger cities, but Rick knew it was only so long before it began spilling out into smaller places like King County.

One bright spot in the horror of the outside world and Rick’s own coma was Harry and Carl. Harry seemed to be getting better. It had taken a while, but Rick finally got Harry to tell him the reason why he’d been in the hospital in the first place. It seems that Harry’s uncle had beat him horribly and then blamed it on a made up burglar who had broke into their hotel room while on vacation in Georgia. Harry had recovered fairly quickly, no doubt because of whatever abilities he had, but the doctor’s were stumped by some odd medical readings and kept him in the hospital to observe him and do more tests. Harry said they were talking about his weird results test and that he was a “medical miracle”, but Harry didn’t know any more.

Lori brought Carl into see him every few days, staying for a while to refresh the flowers by his bed and listen as Carl talked about his day. Carl and Harry seemed to get on like two peas in a pod, laughing and giggling like the two young innocent boys they were and it brought a lightness to Rick’s heart.

On the other hand, Lori seemed to be fairly distant to Rick, not talking or touching him and as the days wore on Rick became unwillingly privy to the fact that Lori and Shane had begun to sleep together. On a day when Lori brought Carl to see him and Shane came with them, Lori had sent Carl and Harry off to the vending machine down the hall to get a treat... well, Shane spilled the beans right quick then proceeded to feel up Rick’s wife as Rick laid beside them unable to do or say anything.

“Sure was nice of you to let me stay the nice last night, Lori... felt good to hold you in my arms, to touch you sweet body.” Shane murmured, his voice muffled.

Lori giggled and Rick heard a faint slap of skin on skin. “Get away with you Shane Walsh, what if Carl comes in and sees you doing that. I still haven’t figured out how to tell him about us. He’s still holding out hope Rick’ll wake up.”

“It’s been four weeks, Lori. He ain’t wakin’ up, we both know that. No sense in feeling bad about finding a little comfort and love with each other.”

Try as he might, Rick couldn’t do anything but listen as the two of them necked for the next five minutes in the chair beside his bed.

In his head, Rick knew that he might never wake up and Lori deserved to find someone else if that happened, but in his heart Rick couldn’t help, but think that it had only been four weeks since Rick had been in the coma and his wife couldn’t wait more than that for him to wake up?

“You talk to the divorce lawyer yet? I want to marry you, girl and you being married to ole Rick here just makes that impossible.”

“Yeah, I signed the papers and it’s just got to go through the process now.” Lori sucked in a deep breath and hummed as Rick heard sucking noises... Shane had found her hotspot on her neck already?

“Mama, the nurse said we need to leave their locking down the hospital.” Carl said quietly into the silent room a few minutes later.

“What do you mean, baby?”

“She said that something was happening, the barricades in Atlanta fell and it’s spreading... Does she mean that virus that going around killing people and making them come back Mama, is it going to come here?”

Carl’s voice was filled with fear, trembling as he spoke. Rick wanted to wake up and pull him in his arms, but no matter how much he willed it, nothing happened.

“Oh god, Shane... what are we going to do?”

“It’s not here yet, Lori. We gotta’ get ready. Go to the store and get as much food and supplies as you can get to wait this thing out. I’m gonna’ go raid the sheriff’s office and get some firepower. I’ll meet you at the house.”

Rick heard them scrambling to get their things and then his boy yelled, “Mama, what about Daddy and Harry? Are they gonna’ be safe?”

“Son, you’re daddy can’t leave right now even if we could take him and Harry’s got people to take care of him. Now come on, we have to go!” Lori said harshly.

“But, I don’t want to leave them, they have to come with us. What if those things come here and we aren’t here to protect them? We can’t leave them!”

“Forget it Lori, we can’t take them. They’ll slow us down and who knows if the delay will keep us from getting safe. We need to go. I’ll grab Carl.” Shane groused roughly and then Rick heard Carl yelling and thumping of hits against Shane as Carl fought back. It got eerily quiet after that.

_‘Harry?’_

_‘HARRY?’_

“I’m here, the nurse gave me some food since she doesn’t know if the cafeteria will be sending up full meals tonight.” Harry said quickly, his breath coming out in pants as Rick heard his shoes squeak as he ran into the room.

_‘Harry, until this situation gets better I don’t want you wandering the halls, okay? It’s not safe.’_

“Okay, I don’t mind staying with you in here... I like talking to you.” Harry said happily enough.

A little while later a nurse came in to tell Harry that she had called his family to come pick him up, but that they weren’t able to come right then... The way she said it, with anger in her voice, let Rick knew that more than likely Harry’s family had abandoned him in favor of saving themselves. It was better that way anyways, at least here Rick knew that the nurses could help to take care of him and Rick could at least help to keep him company.

* * *

 

Over the next few days the hospital became more and more tense as news of the infection seemed to get worse and new cases came closer and closer to their door. People began dying locally and coming back to life to attack more people and start the process over again. Food became scare and the power was on rolling blackouts as society as a whole seemed to be falling apart.

One day Rick came back from whatever “sleep” cycle he had while in a coma to the sounds of gunshots and screaming in the hospital.

_‘Harry? HARRY?’_

“I’m here, what going on? Are those things here? Are we going to die?”

_‘No, we’re going to be fine. I want you to lock the room’s door, put you bed in front of it and anything else heavy, like dressers and chairs. Can you do that, baby?’_

“Yeah, but I’m scared. Uncle said that I’m just a nancy-boy too afraid of his own shadow, that he’s glad I’m not his son because he’d be ashamed to have people know he’d had a frightened little poofer like me as a son.”

_'We talked about how you’re uncle is a horrible man who’s unhappy with his own life, you forget those things he said to you. It’s going to be alright, okay. Just do it quickly, you can do it, you’re a brave boy... I’d be proud to call you my son. Never seen a braver boy in my life, you put up with so much and you keep on being a good person who cares about other people, even when my own wife and best friend didn’t try to save me.’_

As Harry turned the lock and shoved things in front of the door, the sounds got louder and louder. Something slammed against the door from the hall and Rick could hear growls and moans, wet slick noises of something being chewed that made Rick want to heave.

__‘Harry, I want you to hide in the bathroom and lock the door, no matter what happens I want you to stay in there until someone comes to get you. You need to be quiet, as quiet as you can be. Okay?’_ _

“But what about you?” Harry whispered. “I can’t leave you.”

__‘Harry you can’t protect me right now, I know you want to, but I’m too big for you to move, so you have to protect yourself right now. Go on, get in the bathroom, lock the door and stay really quiet.’_ _

“No, I’m not leaving you, you need to wake up, NOW!”Harry whispered, packing a powerful punch of something in his voice as he spoke the last word.

From one moment to the next, Rick woke up and drew in a deep breath, sitting up quickly and gasping as energy coursed through his body. He felt the energy spike from his toes to his head and back again, and Rick was stunned by the sheer force of energy that had him almost robotically getting out of bed and walking to the dresser wardrobe next to his bed and grabbing his gear stored there. His uniform, shoes & socks, Colt Python and his holster... just waiting for him to protect Harry like he should. Rick pushed Harry into the bathroom, following him he locked the door and put his hand up to his lips to let the boy know to be quiet.

More noises could be heard from out in the hall, the screams and gunshots were dying down, but a low roar of a high number of people running through the halls could be heard, things slamming into the walls and the doors as the things, whatever they were, rushed by on the hunt for their next meal.

Rick quickly dressed and put on his gun, waiting to hear if the furniture in front of the hospital room door was enough to keep those things out. Feeling arms wrap around his waist, Rick looked down and saw Harry pressed into his side, his face hidden in the wrinkles of Rick’s shirt, a wet patch going as he cried. Rick sat down on the toilet and pulled Harry into his arms, wrapping himself protectively around the boy as they waited.

It seemed like a long time before the hospital around them went quiet. Rick tried to decide if they should stay in the room and hide until the cavalry came or leave to find a safer place, but what if it no one came? What if this was it, the end of the world... or at least of civilization as they knew it?

After a while, Rick decided hiding in a bathroom wouldn’t keep them safe for very long and they couldn’t wait for some fabled white knights to come save them (the military were probably too busy to even contemplate going door to door). So, Rick picked up Harry and set him on his feet before kneeling in from of the boy.

"Harry, we’ve got to get out of here. I know you’re scared, but we don’t have any food and who knows how long the door will stand up to those things. Can you be my brave little boy for a bit longer?"Rick smiled and cupped Harry’s wet cheek in his large palm.

Harry wiped away his tears, took one deep sniff and then nodded his head.

Just as Rick was about to stand up he thought of something and then turned back to Harry.

"You know, I was thinking... if you’d like, maybe I could be your father. I already love you like my own boy and you and Carl seem to be thick as thieves. I’d be a real good dad, just ask Carl and you’d be Carl’s brother too. Would that be alright?"

Harry gave Rick the most blinding smile and jumped back into his arms, whispering “yes” over and over.

Grinning, Rick held Harry tight and just for a little while allowed the simple act of hugging his son to be the only thing that mattered.


	2. Chapter 2

Getting out of the hospital without getting hurt or worse wasn't easy, but they did it. A rope made out of bed sheets turned out to be the trick, allowing them to climb down to the roof of an adjacent wing of the hospital from their window. Rick carefully lowered Harry down and then climbed down himself before they quickly used the outer stairs to get to the ground level.

There was quite a sight waiting for them when they made it down. King County was in a state of panic, sirens were blaring, explosions could be heard all over, screams echoed through the streets... mutilated bodies and a river of blood seemed to be everywhere Rick looked. Rick felt his own panic rise at the thought of Carl out there without him. What if something happened to Lori and Shane? What if Carl got bit and turned into one of those things? What if he couldn't get away from them and all Rick found of him was the remains of some monster's meal?

"Daddy," Harry mumbled softly with just a faint smile on his face before the reality of their situation came screeching back into focus when a woman screaming just a street over shocked him into jumping and pressing close to Rick again. "Daddy, what are we going to do?"

"We're gonna' go and find Carl and then we're gonna' get out of this town, go somewhere safe, okay, Harry?"

Harry nodded, biting his lip nervously as he jumped at another scream in the distance.

Rick saw the remnants of a construction site up ahead at the entrance to the alley they had climbed down into and he walked over to it and started searching through the junk. After a minute he found a heavy metal rebar that just might be what he needed. He swung it around a few times, testing its weight and then nodded his head. He had his gun, but Rick figured noise of any kind might attract the things walking around the city and a more silent weapon would be needed to keep Harry and him safe. He'd find a better one later, but for now, it would do the job.

Finally, grabbing Harry's hand, Rick took in a deep breath and stepped out from the alley heading towards home. He tried to keep Harry from seeing too much as they walked, but after the twentieth body they came across that was little more than half gnawed on bones and bloody clothes, Rick realized that horrifying as it just may be, this may be the new normal. They passed just as many people running or driving frantically, but luckily they hadn't come across one of those things yet.

The house was only a few blocks away from the hospital, so they made good time, but their luck didn't last. Just as they turned the final corner and stepped onto the street the house was on, Rick saw about six of those things tearing into what looked like a woman who thankfully was already dead. Rick pushed Harry back and tried to back them up as quickly as possible, but when Harry saw them he couldn't help but whimper in fear. The sound carried across the ten feet between them and the group of things, sending their bloody and decaying necks snapping towards them in a heartbeat. With growls and snarls, flesh stuck between their teeth, the monsters began to stumble towards them as it became clear a fresher prey was near.

Harry screamed and Rick turned to run with Harry in his arms, only to have bloody fingers grab his shirt and pull him towards the monster that was just a foot away, it's teeth snapping as it tried to bite him. Rick pushed and pulled, trying to get away from the quickly growing group of those things, yelling and screaming in the process. Harry was screaming "no, no, no" over and over, and then, with just a spark of vibrant green light that rippled out from Harry's hands, the things trying their best to rip into Rick and Harry, and eat the flesh from their bones dropped like puppets with their strings cut abruptly.

Rick stared in wonder down at the still bloody, gory, figures surrounding them and kicked one... bringing the rebar up in defense in case the thing decided it wasn't mostly dead, but truly, without a doubt, dead. When the thing didn't even twitch Rick breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is it over?" Harry whispered softly as he lifted his head from where he had it shoved in fear in the curve of Rick's neck,

"Yeah, baby, it's over... for now." Rick murmured as he kissed Harry's forehead. "You did so good, making that green light to kill them, such a brave boy."

"I did that?" Harry said in wonder, looking down at his hands and then around at the finally lifeless things scattered around them.

"Well, it wasn't me, I ain't special like that. See, magic isn't bad, you can use it to help people... to protect them like you did here and in the hospital when you woke me up." Rick said with a smile and looking around thoughtfully, he began walking with purpose towards the house, making sure to keep a close watch out for any more of those things on the way.

Stepping onto the front porch of his home, Rick set Harry down and took in a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what he would find inside. Lori's car was still in the driveway, the door halfway open and bags packed up inside it. There was no blood or bodies that he could see, but it wasn't exactly a promising start to his search for his family... well, his son... Lori and Shane made their choice when they abandoned him in the hospital without a second thought.

"Harry, I want you to stay behind me, okay? Stay as quiet as you can."

Harry nodded and then breathed in a deep breath before he stuck out his chin, putting on a brave face that Rick couldn't help but be proud of.

Rick tested the front door lock and the door opened without resistance, the door opening with a soft creak. Silently they crept into the house, moving from room to room, searching in closets, behind doors, under beds and even in the attic crawl space to be sure. Finally after searching the apparently empty house, Rick breathed a sigh of relief. Carl at least made it out of here alive, that was all Rick could ask for at this point.

Once the house was deemed safe, Rick made sure all the locks on the doors and windows were engaged, the blinds and curtains drawn to keep the knowledge of them inside from the monsters stumbling through the streets, and pushed heavy furniture in front of the doors to make it a little harder for those things to get in if they tried.

Once the house was secure, Rick took stock of what was left... enough food to last them at least a few days, a little bit of water (but not much), Rick's father's old shotgun and a few boxes of shells that had been shoved high up and in the back of Rick and Lori's bedroom closet away from Carl's inquisitive hand, and a few odds and ends that may prove of worth down the road. It wasn't much, but it would do for now... Rick needed to stock up on supplies and fast, figure out a way to keep them safe while they searched for Carl.

After a dinner of canned green beans and syrupy fruit cocktail, Rick tucked Harry into Carl's bed, kissing his brow and smiling as Harry sighed in contentment.

Sitting quietly in the dark of the living room, Rick contemplated his next move. The obvious first choice would be the sheriff's station. Not only would the station probably be filled with weapons that would be useful to keep them safe, but the city always kept a healthy supply of food, water and medicine in case of emergencies... which would prove useful for Rick and Harry. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad and the sheriff's station would be manned, filled with his co-workers trying their best to keep the populace safe from the veritable monsters roaming the streets... but he didn't have much hope. On the walk from the hospital it had been pretty clear that when the virus really hit the town it hit fast and hard.

With supplies taken care of the next thing would be to find Carl. Rick figured that Shane would want to get out of town and go to a more rural place, where people (and therefore those things) would be less likely to be around. They'd take the less populated routes, ignoring the congested freeways as much as possible. Rick figured they'd head east up into the high hills where it would be harder for those things to get. It was just guess work at this point, but Rick had been Shane's partner for ten years and he figured he knew that man about as good as anyone knew Shane in this world.

Rick heard the creak of floorboards long before Harry said a word, but when Harry stepped into the living room, a tense look on his face, Rick got up and pulled the boy into his arms. "What's wrong, Harry?"

"I don't like sleeping alone, will you lay down with me, daddy?" Harry sniffled slightly.

"Sure, baby, let's go to bed... we got big plans tomorrow."

Grabbing the rebar from it place on the table beside his chair, Rick walked down the hall and into Carl's room. Closing the door and locking it, Rick laid Harry in the bed and quickly took off his Python and gunbelt, putting both weapons within easy reach if something broke in.

"Are we gonna' find Carl tomorrow? I miss him." Harry whispered tiredly as he rubbed his eyes and snuggled into the bed.

"Me too, buddy. We may not find him tomorrow or the next day, but we're gonna start looking for him and we aren't gonna' stop until we do." Rick answered as he slipped under the covers next to Harry.

"'kay," Harry sighed and then cuddled up close to Rick, content with the world at least for now.

* * *

They'd been driving for days, weaving in and out of the way of walkers and abandoned vehicles along the road. Occasionally, they had ran across a few other cars, all driving frantically in a search of loved ones and safety in this new deadly world.

The next few days were spent gathering up supplies and finding a vehicle that would offer enough room for all their supplies, but would be easy on the limited supply of gas Rick could find. Once Rick, with Harry's helpful hands, had packed their supplies into the hatchback he'd found, they were off heading down the deserted backroads of King County.

It was early morning on the fourth day of their road trip when Rick pulled to a stop on the road a ways away from a truck with it's hood up that was swarming with walkers all around it. At first Rick thought that the people inside where goners, the walkers were so dense that he couldn't even see inside. However, then there was a gun shot, and another, then bodies began to fall around the truck... but there was still so many left.

"Is somebody in trouble?" Harry asked as he sat up and leaned on the dashboard looking out at the truck about 150 feet away.

"I think so," Rick gripped the steering wheel tightly.

He hated not doing anything to help, there were too few people left in this world that the thought of just standing by and doing nothing to keep the few left alive safe made him feel sick. But, at the same time, Harry only had Rick to protect him and what if something happened to Rick... what would happen to Harry? Rick felt like the world slowed down to a crawl as he weighed his options, but at the same time as more shots echoed through the morning dawn he felt like time was speeding up... taking the choice from him.

Finally he made his decision, quickly turning around to the bag of guns in the backseat he rifled through it, grabbing the AR-15 and loading it. "Harry, I want you to stay here and stay quiet. I'll be right back."

"Daddy, I can help... I can do that green light thingy again." Harry puffed up his chest and looked up at Rick with determination, wanting to help even though he was only six years old. "Let me help, daddy, please?"

Rick sighed and shook his head. "Harry, you can do a lot of great things and you're such a brave boy, but you're still too young... let me take care of you for a while okay? I just want you to be safe."

Running a hand quickly through Harry's tousled black hair to try and soothe the refusal that had made Harry chest deflate, he told the boy to stay inside the car once again and then jumped out.

Quickly making his way towards the truck and the walkers swarming it, he began to fire shots into the herd. Walkers began to fall one by one as Rick made quick and efficient headshots. After shooting at least 15, there was still at least 30 more walkers left, some of them making their stumbling way towards Rick. As the crack of a window breaking sounded, Rick had a feeling that he couldn't save the people inside... maybe not even himself if he didn't book it back to the car.

On the far side of the truck where the herd had thinned out a bit, the passenger door slammed open and two men came barreling out guns, knives and crossbow at the ready, firing shots into the herd as they made there way towards Rick's position in the middle of the road 15 feet away.

The three men steadily took shots into the herd as they made there way towards the car, the sound of Harry yelling caught Rick attention and as he turned he saw another herd of walkers emerging from the trees near the car, no doubt drawn by the noise of the gun shots.

"Sonovabitch!" Cursed Rick as he started running for the car, shooting walkers as they got too close to his vulnerable son.

"Daddy!" Harry yelled as the walkers reached the car and began pounding on the glass, trying to get inside and get to the meal that was just out of reach.

"I'm comin', baby!" Rick yelled as he shot more walkers until the AR-15 was empty. Swinging the AR-15 by the strap onto his back and pulling his Python from it's holster, Rick took more shots, this time joined by the two men beside him as they all ran to the car.

"Daddy, I can do the thing... please, let me do the thing!" Harry screamed as he crawled over the seats and into the drivers seat, fear lacing his words as he stared in horror at the monsters clambering to get him.

"Do it, baby!" Rick screamed as he holstered the Python and pulled out his knife, stabbing walkers left and right as the two herds converged and began to surround them.

From one moment to the next, a green light erupted from the car and every single walker around them dropped dead in an instant.

"What tha' fuck?" Cursed a gruff voice beside Rick and he turned around, looking at the two men fully for the first time.

The one who spoke was a tall, well built man with a scruffy goatee, weathered tank top and battered jeans. He held the crossbow propped on his shoulder as he looked around, a frown on his face. The man must have felt Rick's eyes on him because his looked up and for a moment a gorgeous set of blue eyes met his straight on before they looked away, the man biting his bottom lip nervously.

The other man spoke. "Well, idn't that handy."

He was the exact opposite of the first man, shorter, more meaty than muscled, with a bald head and a stubborn look in his eyes that made Rick a little uneasy.

"Daddy!" Harry cried and stumbled out of the driver's side door over to Rick.

Picking the boy up and holding him tight, Rick pressed kisses to his forehead as the boy cried.

"You did so good, baby. You saved us, all of us. It's okay." Rick murmured as he cradled Harry in his arms.

For a few minutes the only sound to be heard was Harry sniffles and Rick's murmured words of comfort. But as Harry began to calm down, he raised his head and looked around, then his eyes widened.

"Mr. Daryl?" He whispered, excitement in his voice as he leaned around Rick's shoulder to get a good look.

The first man, Daryl, turned at the sound of Harry's voice, having given them a little privacy, and his eyes widened when he saw Harry. "Harry?"

Giving an excited giggle, Harry motioned for Rick to set him down and then ran over to Daryl with a huge grin on his face, barreling into his legs and wrapping his arms around the man.

"I missed you! Where did you go? You said you would come back and then bad things started happening, and I met daddy, monsters started eating people and, and... I missed you!" Harry babbled as he looked up at him, grin still in place.

The man blushed, ignoring the pointed look from the other man, rubbing the back of his neck nervously before taking a knee in front of Harry.

Rick watched on in wonder and with a little suspicion as the man... as Daryl... spoke to Harry.

"Went back, but you wasn't there anymore," Daryl said gruffly. "The hotel said you and those good fer nuthin' people you was with checked out."

"Oh." Harry said softly. "Uncle Vernon didn't like what you said to him... he, he punished me and I had to go to the hospital."

The boy frowned and balled up his hands into fists, his voice wavering as he spoke.

"Ya alright now, right?" Daryl asked with a frown, running his hands over Harry's arms and legs to look for injuries. Then he looked up at Rick before turning back to Harry with a questioning gaze. "And, ya got yerself a daddy, huh?"

Harry grinned at Daryl's words, ran over to Rick and pulled him back to Daryl by the hand.

"Uh huh, daddy meet Daryl Dixon... Daryl, meet daddy." Harry giggled and rocked back on his heels as he looked from Rick to Daryl and back again.

"Uh, Rick's fine." Rick laughed and held his hand out to shake the other man's hand. "Rick Grimes."

Daryl gave Rick a long look for about 30 seconds, so long that Rick was worried that he'd offended him somehow, before finally he nodded his head and shook Rick's hand.

"How did you meet Harry?" Rick asked, very curious about how such a gruff and stoic man could seem to make friends with Harry.

"Aunt Petunia told me to leave her alone and go to the park down the street, so I was playing in the park for a while... but I saw a squirrel and wanted to play... so I kinda ran into the woods after it." Harry whispered, biting his lip as he spoke.

"Found the kid close to two days later after he'd spent the night twice in the woods, lost. Gave him some food, cleaned up a few cuts. Took us a day to get back to the town they was at, but I got him back to the hotel and those good fer nuthin' family a'his."

Rick stared at the man and the down at Harry, and then back up. "God, thank you... I can only imagine what might have happened to him if you hadn't found him."

"At least ya said thanks, that family a'his just tried to slam tha' door in ma' face... 'course, they wasn't any happier when I told 'um off for lettin' the boy wander off."

Rick opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted.

"That's swell, Darylina, but what I wanna' know is how tha' boy did what'ver he did?"

"Merle, ya' don't need ta' know-"

"Hell, I don't! Never seen nuthin' like tha' before!"

Rick stiffened and brought Harry in close to him. "Harry's got a special gift, there's noting wrong with it, saved your life didn't it? And, I won't having you say anything bad about it."

"Hell, I don't care 'bout that, just want ta' know how he fuckin' did it." Merle said with a scowl.

"I got's magic, Mr. Merle." Harry said quietly before Rick could respond.

It was quiet for a few second before Merle laughed, "Well, I'll be damned, Darylina... looks like you're sissy mother-henning ways actually proved useful. We got ourselves a wizard as a protector!"

Daryl rolled his eyes, catching Rick's eye for a moment... another blush... before turning his eyes away. "Knock it off, Merle, he's just a kid."

"Hey, I like kids!" Merle huffed and then frowned. "Well, na' I don't like kids... but this one ain't so bad."

"This dumbass is ma' brother Merle."

Just then a growl and moan could be heard from a little ways down the road. The four of them snapped around and watched as two walkers stumbled out of the forest.

"Your truck down for the count?" Rick asked quickly as he hustled Harry into the car.

"Yeah, engine's shot." Daryl groused as he looked back at his truck.

"Best get your gear and come with us then, the noise is liable to bring walkers from miles around."

Quickly, Daryl and Merle ran to the truck and started pulling their stuff from it. Once Rick had Harry in the car he shot the two walkers that were making their way towards him and another one that came next. A minute later all four were locked up tight in the car and on their way down the road.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Man, I am on a role this weekend... here's another chapter for you guys. :)

There was something to be said about the saying "strength in numbers". Once Rick and Harry joined with Daryl and Merle, well, things got a lot easier. Daryl, and sometimes Merle, was good at heading off into the woods in the morning and coming back in the afternoon with a line full of food... from squirrels to bunnies, birds and even a deer occasionally. The addition of fresh meat to their diet helped to not only make their non-perishable food last longer, but eased Rick's worry that Harry wasn't getting enough nutrients and protein for his growing body.

It was nice too that Rick felt like he could depend on Daryl, and even Merle, to help protect Harry and be there for him if God forbid something happened to Rick. It eased the worry and stress in this new life a bit, not all or even a lot of it, but it was there. Rick still worried that this new world was just too dangerous for those left alive, especially children. He worried that Harry would get separated and would have no one to turn to. He worried that he'd never find Carl again, forever wandering, never knowing what happened to his son. Or, he worried that he'd die or get turned before he found Carl and Carl would be left to never know that Rick woke up and was alive and desperately searching for him.

Some days, life seemed as bleak as possible as they seemed to flee from one dangerous situation to another. The walkers weren't the only thing to worry about in this new world; there were murderers and thieves, cannibals and rapists... the low dredges of the old world that had a knack for surviving... walking on the backs of honorable survivors, bleeding them dry both literally and figuratively. Their small group had quite a few tussles with unscrupulous people who wanted everything from their supplies to their bodies. They always came out ahead with three skilled fighters in the mix, but Rick worried about the day when the odds were no longer in their favor.

Of course, there were just as many good days as their were bad.

Harry had the ability to bring light and happiness into even the most dark times. His smiles, his curious nature, his stubborn refusal to not use his magic to help his daddy, Mr. Daryl and Mr. Merle as much as possible.

"How many times I got to tell ya, kid, stop calling me _Mr. Merle_... makes me sound like some fucking idiot accountant." Merle griped as Harry once again called him by his surname.

Harry giggled, well used to Merle's gripes and curse ridden language. It was a funny thing, Merle could be a real bastard with a potty mouth and an ability to turn even the most light situations into a battle of wills and words... but the foul mouthed redneck had a soft spot for the little boy. From begrudgingly (read: without prompting) helping Harry to learn how to build a fire to fiercely protecting him in dangerous situations when Rick and Daryl were a little to far away.

Rick was surprised at how Merle treated Harry. Yeah, he didn't curb his words or the harshness in his voice, but he seemed to put a playfulness into it that Harry always seemed to like.

The most surprising thing about the Dixon brothers, for Rick at least, was Daryl.

The man seemed to be a contradiction of soft and hard; stoic and gruff versus gentle and helpful. Daryl treated Harry like a little adult, which Harry seemed to appreciate, never guarding his words when he needed to teach Harry about the dangers of the world or the expectations put upon him by the reality they lived in. But, in that same regard, the quiet redneck seemed to be just as gentle in equal turn... holding Harry when the boy wanted to cuddle, patiently teaching Harry how to skin and cook animals, carefully watching over the boy as he and Rick painstakingly taught Harry how to shoot a gun in case his magic ever failed him (a day which Rick found equally sadly horrifying and proudly optimistic of).

The relationship between Harry and Daryl always put a smile on Rick's face. It was clear that the two formed an immediate bond the day that Daryl rescued him from being lost in the woods and as their relationship continued to grow that bond turned into one of friendship, trust, love and respect.

The day that Harry asked Daryl if he could call him papa a month after they had all been on the road together, Rick thought Daryl was going to cry. To see that gruff and quiet man kneel down in front of Harry and tell him that he could if he wanted to... well, that was the day that Rick realized that he wasn't just attracted to Daryl, he might just be half in love with him already.

It was funny how just a little over two months ago Rick was vastly different. He was married to Lori, still in love but working through a hard spot in their marriage, happy as a sheriff's deputy for King County and the proud father of a boy who amazed him on a daily basis.

Now, two and a half months later, Rick's marriage was over in every way but legal, his love for her had shriveled up and died the day that she had abandoned not only Rick to the walkers but Harry as well. He found himself each day getting a closer look into Daryl's heart and soul, carefully guarding the fact that with each new fact he learned about the fiercely protective and capable man he fell a little harder for him. And now, he was the proud father of two amazing boys... he just had to find Carl once again.

* * *

Rick had been driving for the better part of four hours in the late evening sun and was looking for a spot to stop for the night when in the front passenger seat Harry woke up with a start.

"Carl?" The little boy rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked around eagerly. "Where is he?"

"Harry, we're still looking for him, remember?" Rick answered sadly, a tightness in his throat as he thought about the fact that it had been more than a month since he had last heard his son's voice and known that he was safe.

"No, I can feel him... he's close!" Harry just about yelled frantically, sitting up in the seat, knees folded under him as he stared out the windows with a far reaching look that was more than just looking with his eyes.

"Whatcha' talkin' 'bout, kid?" Daryl asked softly as he leaned forward from the back seat and looked at Harry, a frown on his face.

"I can feel him, I know it... there!"

Rick stared at Harry for a moment in question and then glanced out of the windshield to look at an offroad that lead up into the mountains where an old quarry was. With a grin, Rick swerved across the road and started the long drive up the winding mountain road. He couldn't say why, but he just knew that Harry was right, he trusted the boy's magic, even when he didn't understand it.

It took them another two hours to get up the mountain to the spot where Harry was sure Carl was. The darkness had crept up on them until they were forced to turn on the headlights to guide by.

Just as they came around the bend, headlights shining on a camp at the top of the road, a walker appeared from the trees, stumbling around an RV camper and closer to a group of people sitting around a fire. Rick didn't even think about it, he slammed on the breaks and pulled his Python out of his holster and aimed out of the open window. With the walker in his sights, Rick pressed his finger on the trigger just as a blonde young woman stepped out of the camper.

The sound of the shot echoed through the canyon, blood splattering on the thankfully unharmed blonde girl, and screams began to sound out as walkers started stumbling out from the trees.

From one second to the next, Rick watched in horror as Harry jumped out of the car and ran into the thick of the fight... a second later a green light burst from the boy's hands and the walkers dropped dead.

It was quiet after that, harsh breaths and stunned expressions as the new group took in the sight of a six-year-old Harry who had somehow killed close to thirty walkers in one fell swoop.

"Harry, you okay?" Rick yelled as he ran into the thick of the group and to Harry's side.

Harry grinned and nodded, then he pointed to a place off to the right of Rick.

"Dad? DAD! HARRY!"

Rick spun around and dropped to his knees at the sound of Carl's voice. He eyes found Carl frantically trying to pull away from Lori's tight grip, her face filled with a mix of emotions as she held on tightly. Shane stood beside her, his face equally filled with mixed emotions as he looked at Rick. Finally pulling free, Carl ran to Rick and wrapped himself around his father, crying and hiccuping as he burrowed into Rick's arms.

"It's okay, I'm alright, we're alright." Rick murmured into Carl's hair as he grabbed hold of Harry's t-shirt and pulled the younger boy into his arms as well.

Carl as soon as he noticed Harry was there wrapped an arm around the younger boy. "I thought you guys were dead. Mom and Shane took me away and wouldn't let me go back and save you guys, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Carl... Daddy and I saved ourselves." Harry whispered as he burrowed right back into his new brother's arms.

The three held on to each other for a few minutes as voices murmured around them, words of surprise, thanks, comfort and anger swirling around them as the group reacted to the fight and Harry's ability.

"Rick... you're alive? How?"

Finally, Rick pulled away from his two boys and stood up, glaring into the questioning eyes of Lori and Shane.

"Well, no thanks to you two. I can somewhat understand you leaving me, I was stuck in a bed and in a coma, but to leave a six-year old boy who you knew was abused by his family and was more than likely to be left behind... that, I can never forgive." Rick growled, his voice hard and unforgiving as he spoke.

"Hey, man... how were we supposed to know that the kid's family wasn't gonna' come get him? It was a bad day, still is a bad day, and all I know is that I had to get Lori and Carl to safety... that you would want me to do that." Shane yelled, fists clenched tight as he paced in front of Rick.

"Shane, I know you and Lori heard Harry telling Carl about how his family mistreated him... multiple times. I was there, I heard it myself!" Rick said in a deadly voice, quiet and laced with a threat that had Shane backing up a step.

"Man, what are you talking about, you were in a coma. You couldn't hear shit."

"I may have been in a coma, but I could still hear everything and besides that, Harry could hear me talking in my head... I know what he knows too."

Lori and Shane's eyes widened at those words.

"You could hear... everything?" Lori asked quietly.

"Yes, everything." Raising his eyebrow, Rick stared them down.

"Boy, what have I told you about doing that freakish thing." A harsh voice echoed through the group, drawing Rick's attention. It was meant to be quiet, but with everyone silent and caught up in the drama between the three of them it might as well have been a yell.

"Ya' betta' back the fuck of ma' son, if ya' know what's good fer ya'." Daryl growled as he aimed his loaded crossbow on a large fat man who had Harry's arm in a tight grip.

"I'd do what he says, Mr. Dursley... we don't take kindly to people who abuse children." Rick threatened the whale-like man as he strode up to them, his hand resting on his holstered Python as he spoke.

"Rick, how do you know the Dursleys?" Lori asked, confused, as she looked from Rick to Vernon Durley, to Harry and Daryl and back to Rick.

"Do you not care at all that Harry was an abused child?" Rick growled and pointed to Vernon Dursley. "This 350 pound man is the same asshole that held Harry down and let his equally fat son kick him enough to send him to the hospital just because he got lost in the woods, or were you not paying attention when Harry was talking about it... giving names and all. Vernon Dursley isn't exactly a common name."

"Now see here, I won't having you disparaging my son and I because of this freakish little hooligan." Vernon Dursley puffed up, his blubbery face going red in anger as he spoke.

The next sound to be heard was the man wailing in pain as Daryl and Rick moved in tandem with each other. Daryl knocked the butt of his crossbow into the man's face as he ripped a crying Harry from his grasp and Rick kicked the man's feet out from under him, the man falling hard on his wrist, the snap of bone singing through the air.

As Daryl held Harry in his arms, murmuring soothing words into the boys tousled hair with a resolute Carl standing beside him, his hand rubbing up and down Harry's back, Rick spoke.

"I'd suggest you never lays hands of either of my sons again, Mr. Dursley. If you do, you'll wish the walkers, or whatever you call those flesh-eating monsters, got to you... because I won't be so civilized next time."

The threat made the man shiver as he glared up at Rick as a thin horse-faced woman and a short pudgy boy ran up to Dursley and tried to help him up, no doubt Petunia and Dudley Dursley.

"Well, ain't this a fine night." Merle laughed as he holstered the gun he'd unassumingly had aimed at Vernon Dursley's head. Walking over to his small group, Merle laid a quick comforting hand on Harry before an uncomfortable look appeared on his face at the surprisingly kind gesture and he stepped back to scowl off at the trees, rubbing his bald head nervously.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Asked a soft spoken gray haired man from near the RV camper. Two blonde women stood beside him, one of them the young woman who nearly got bit by the first walker.

"Sorry," Rick said with a sheepish looked on his face, adjusting the cowboy hat on his head, standing up straighter, looking like the deputy sheriff he used to be before the Turn, uniform and all. "I'm Rick Grimes, deputy sheriff of King County... or what's left of it. Carl, who I am sure you know, is my son and this is my other son, Harry. That's Daryl Dixon, Harry's papa, and his brother, Merle."

"Um... what was the green light that killed all those things... the, um, walkers?" Asked the younger blonde woman beside him.

Rick was quiet for a minute as he looked at Daryl, a silent conversation going on between them before he finally spoke. "Harry has a special gift, one that allows him to do a great deal of amazing things, including killing all those walkers."

The older grayed haired man grinned and stepped forward. "He's a wizard..."

Harry raised his head from Daryl's shoulder and looked back at the man as he spoke, the light from the fire shining perfectly on the lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

"... well I'll be, he's not just a wizard... he's Harry Potter!" The older man chuckled.

"How do you know who and what he is, Mr...?" Rick asked suspiciously as he looked at the man.

"Oh, name's Dale Horvath. My mother was a squib, ah, a non-magical child born to a magical family. She still kept in touch with that side of the family up until a few years ago when she passed away." Dale answered, a little sad note at the end, before he smiled again. "Young Mr. Potter here is a little bit famous in that world. His parents, well, his birth parents, were a part of a group that was fighting a very bad wizard who had plans to take over the wizarding world... there was an incident where He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named attacked them in their home. His parent's died that night, killed by the very green light that took out those walkers, but Mr. Potter survived that killing curse... he's the only one to ever do that. It was rumored that he could grow up to be an archmagus, the most powerful type of magical being in the wizarding world, one who isn't bound by the use of a wand and harnesses wild magic from the earth itself to bend magic to their will. I expect that he was given to the Durlseys when they passed away, being the only relatives he had left to care for him."

Dale sent a dark look at the Dursleys as he finished speaking, it was clear he thought that they had done some truly horrible things to Harry that he disapproved of.

"Magic ain't real, you idiot." Shane said annoyed as he glared at Dale, then Rick and his group, glaring especially long at Harry as he sat in Daryl's arms.

"Oh, it's very real," Dale said seriously before he pointed down at the dead walker at his feet that almost bit the blonde young woman standing beside him. "And, it just might be the only thing that keeps this group from ending up like that."


	4. Chapter 4

Rick woke up slowly, warm and content with his family sleeping around him, as birds tweeted in the early morning light. He nuzzled into the warm body in front of him, humming softly as he did so, enjoying the few moments during the day when Daryl wasn't as nervous and awkward around Rick.

It had been happening more and more, each morning finding Rick tangled up against Daryl, arms wrapped around the man in their sleep. They didn't really talk about it, but Rick knew that Daryl enjoyed it just as much as Rick did. Case in point... Daryl started stretching his body in stages, a sure sign that he was waking up for the day. He snuffled into the pillow at his head and burrowed back into Rick's arms, sighing slightly as Rick held him just a little bit tighter and threaded his fingers with Daryl's.

Giving another nuzzle into the surprisingly soft skin at the nape of Daryl's neck, Rick whispered into his ear. "Good morning."

Daryl tensed just a little bit before relaxing once again, his voice gruff as he said, "Mornin'."

Rick lightly pressed his lips to the back of Daryl's nape, grinning when the man shivered in his arms and gave a soft whimper that Rick was sure Daryl was completely unaware of. "Gotta' convince the group to get back on the road today, find a place that we can call home... something more secure than a camp in the woods, no matter how far up in the mountains it is."

"You get to be the one to tell that asshole then." Daryl replied with a snort.

Rick sighed and pressed his face into Daryl's neck.

Last night had not been pleasant once the group found out about Harry's magic along with Lori and Shane becoming aware that there might be something going on between Rick and Daryl. After dealing with the bodies of the dead walkers, the group as a whole buried the few people who died before Harry had done his magic. There were a few soft words of goodbye whispered and one memorable moment of a tall, thin woman with bruises that had taken a pickaxe to her bitten husband's dead head, but otherwise it was an explosive night of fighting.

Shane immediately started acting like Harry was a threat, and because they were with him, Daryl and Merle right along with him. Rick was treated to equal parts threats and insinuations that he was a naive idiot for trusting them. Most of the group took the news of magic and of Harry with words of thanks and even eagerness, but there were a few, Shane and the Dursleys leading the argument, that weren't as happy to see what the boy could do.

There were some harsh words and threats thrown back and forth, but at the end of the night nothing was really settled. The group had bedded down for the night after Daryl and Rick took it upon themselves to set up traps and alert systems after they had found out the group's only protection before had been two guards standing watch while the group slept.

The most difficult task for Rick was getting Lori and Shane to allow Carl to sleep with him. Lori had tried to wheedle Rick into sleeping in her and Carl's tent, but Rick turned her down flat while Shane glared at Rick from across the fire, no doubt Lori would have kicked Shane out if Rick accepted. Finally, Carl just ignored his mother's words and just stomped away from her and into the tent Daryl had set up for them.

Merle had smirked once it was time to go to bed, looking at Daryl and Rick as he did so, and said something about it being cramped in there. He bedded down in the two-person tent Daryl and Merle had before Rick joined with them and they began using his large 6 person tent. Daryl had rolled his eyes at Merle, steadfastly looking away from Rick as he did so, and helped Harry get ready for bed.

Now, eight hours later, as the sun began to crest over the horizon, the task of getting the group on the road was ahead of them. Rick wasn't looking forward to dealing with Shane. It was apparent that he was the leader of their ragtag group... or rather, he had been until last night, but as the night wore on and the group got to know Rick a little more it became obvious that Rick was ready and capable of stepping in as the group's leader, something which some seemed to be thankful for.

Rick's daddy always said that he was born to lead. He'd been a leader since he was a kid; while most kids were toddling along doing little more than playing, well, Rick was leading the charge in playground battles and picking the teams for playground games. Rick found a sense of peace when he lead the way, knowing that he would do everything he could... whether it was helping his team strategize to win the game or doing everything he could to make sure that his family, and this group, survived the apocalypse.

"Papa said a bad word," Harry giggled from behind Rick, pulling him out of his musing, and Carl started laughing not long after.

Giving Daryl one more light kiss on the nape of his neck, and grinning smugly when the other man shivered at the touch, Rick sighed and turned over, beginning to tickle his boys in punishment for ending the moment between Rick and Daryl.

The sound of the boys' laughter floated up and out of the tent as Rick growled playfully and tickled them.

"Papa is an adult and can say it," Rick gripped playfully, though he did raise an eyebrow at Daryl as he spoke. "Though papa knows to watch the language around tiny ears."

Daryl rolled his eyes as he turned over onto his other side.

It quieted down for a few seconds as Rick gave his boys a breather, smiling as they panted and laughed at each other, playfully poking each others' ticklish spots.

"Dad, are you and Daryl together?"

Rick froze at those words, not knowing what to say. He met Daryl's eyes; a conversation going on between them in the span of just a few seconds. A raised eyebrow, a smirk, a lip bit nervously, a shrug and then a grin.

"Yeah, I think so... is that alright, buddy?" Rick asked quietly as he looked down at Carl.

Carl was silent for a little while, biting his lip nervously in a way that reminded Rick of Daryl so much.

"I guess it's alright. I want you to be happy... mom... mom and Shane are together, I saw them kissing a week after you got shot." Carl whispered. "Dad, is it alright if I stay with you from now on? I... I just, I don't like how she made me leave you guys and how she and Shane got together even though you're married. It's not right."

Rick crawled over to his son and wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly as the boy cried.

It had been apparent last night that Lori and Carl's relationship had been damaged that day in the hospital, and the way Lori was acting, and with Shane's own behavior, it might never recover.

"It's alright, Carl... Daddy and papa are great. They taught me how to shoot a gun, how to skin and cook animals to eat, how to keep quiet in the woods when Daryl's hunting and so much more. They'd teach you too!" Harry said eagerly as he cuddled against Carl's side. "And, we can be brothers... if you want?"

Carl lifted up his head and smiled down at Harry. "That's sounds great, Harry. Yeah, we can be brothers... I always wanted one."

Rick sighed in relief and lay back down for a second as Carl and Harry started excitedly talking about learning how to hunt, Harry telling Carl how Daryl promised to teach him if he was good.

As he lay there, Rick felt Daryl's fingers ghost over his before they threaded through and held on tightly. Looking to the side, Rick found Daryl looking at him with a pensive look on his face, as always, biting his lip nervously as he did so. Rick smiled at him and leaned in, taking it slow so that Daryl had enough time to back off if he wasn't ready.

When Rick's lips finally met Daryl's chapped ones, he sighed in relief and pressed them softly against the other man's. Daryl gave a soft moan, thankfully too quiet for the talking boys to hear, and opened his mouth, letting Rick swipe his tongue inside teasingly.

Rick leaned into his body so that he was laid half on top of Daryl, carding his free hand through Daryl's tousled hair, placing butterfly kisses on his lips, jaw and throat before raising his head up again. They stared at each other for a while, a slight smile on Daryl's face as he looked up at Rick.

That perfect moment was shattered by the sound of the tent's zipper coming down and Shane poking his head in, scowl on his face as he looked at where Rick was still a little on top of Daryl, their arms wrapped around each other.

"Get your asses out of bed, we got work to do."

He stormed away, feet stomping loudly in the dirt as he did so.

"Okay, boys, time to get up." Rick sighed and kissed Daryl once more before crawling out of the tent.

Daryl and the boys came out a few seconds later, the crossbow held casually over the man's shoulder.

"Thought me and Merle'd hunt, find meat fer breakfast fer the boys."

Rick smiled at him and nodded.

"Can we come, huh, papa?" Harry asked excitedly as he practically bounced in his spot.

Daryl cocked an eyebrow in question. Rick looked from Daryl to his boys and then kneeled down in front of them.

"Boys, you can go," they grinned at those words and jumped about, but Rick caught their attention again with a serious look on his face. "But, I want you to listen to everything he says, be quiet, stick together... No wandering off, is that clear?"

The boys nodded, eyes wide as they listened.

"And, if something happens I want you to be vigilant about doing everything Daryl tells you and keeping each other safe. Harry, do your thing if walkers come, 'kay?"

Harry nodded, a grin in place as he did so.

"Rick, what the hell, you lettin' Carl go out alone with this redneck trash?"

"Shane, he's my son not yours, and I decide what he does and doesn't do. I trust Daryl to keep Carl safe, to keep _them both_ safe. They need to learn how to survive, hunting is a big part of that."

"Rick, I really don't want Carl going out with that man, who knows what will happen. He's just a boy, Rick." Lori frowned as she tried to pull Carl away from Harry and Daryl, though the boy wasn't having it.

"Mom, I want to go. I'm not a little boy anymore, I need to learn."

"Lori, he needs to learn to take care of himself, this is a dangerous world and it's our task as his parents to prepare him for it. Hunting is a good way for him to learn about patience, being quiet when needed, identifying foods he can eat and using his own judgment to judge a situation."

Lori huffed and walked away.

"Be back in about an hour, whether we get a couple kills or not." Daryl said finally as Merle walked up, a new bow that he'd found in an abandoned Wal-Mart at rest in his hands.

Rick watched the most important people in his life walk into the woods and disappear. It made him leery, but Rick really did agree that the boys needed to learn to hunt and protect themselves. It was a dangerous world out there and he wanted to give them the best chance at staying alive that he could.

Standing up, Rick walked over to the fire where some of the group was sitting around at.

"Mornin'." Rock greeted and took a seat beside Dale. "Daryl and Merle are out with the boys trying to get some meat for breakfast."

"Really, that's awesome man... haven't had fresh meat in I don't know how long." Said a young Asian man from the other side of the fire. "Oh, I'm Glen by the way."

"Nice to meet you." Rick smiled.

"Sorry, we didn't get around to the introductions last night did we?" Dale said and started pointing out people, who waved a hello as he introduced them. "Next to me is Andrea and her younger sister Amy, who you saved last night, which I'm very thankful for it. Next to them is Jacqui, Theodore who likes to be called T-Dog, Jim, Carol and her daughter Sophia, Jose Morales and his wife Miranda and their son Noah and their daughter Eliza. At the end there I am sure you know the Dursleys, Vernon and Petunia, and their son Dudley."

"Nice to meet, ya'll." Rick smiled, ignoring the Dursleys. "It's nice to see such a large group who's survived the odds."

"So how did you survive? Carl said that when they left the hospital you were in a coma." Glenn asked, learning forward as he spoke, a brightness in his eyes as he waited for what he imagined would be an eventful tale.

"Well, for a few days I was still in a coma, but luckily I had Harry with me. Since the first day we met, that little boy had been able to hear me in my coma and I think it allowed me to stay sane while I was trapped in my own body. When the walkers invaded the hospital, I told Harry to barricade the door and hide in the bathroom, but he didn't want to leave me." Rick smiled, remembering Harry's stubborn refusal to leave Rick alone, unprotected. "I'm not sure what he did, but he used magic to force me awake and I've been fine ever since."

"You were in a coma for a month, what about muscle atrophy or the gunshot wound?" Jacqui asked, a frown on her face.

Shaking his head, Rick laughed. "Like I said, I don't know what he did, but I've actually never felt better."

"Magic is inherently driven by emotion and will, if Harry wanted it enough, it's very possible that he could have healed Mr. Grimes' wounds, even fixed whatever was wrong that was keeping him in a coma." Dale mused as he scratched his bearded chin.

"Call me Rick, all of you. No standing on ceremony now that the world isn't what it used to be." Rick smiled.

"How do you know so much about magic, if you don't have it?" Amy asked as she held her hands out to fire and tried to warm up her hands in the early morning chill.

"Oh, well, I may be a squib born to another squib, but I've always been amazed by magic. Because I had a connection to the magical world I was able to get access to a large library of books about magic, I even was able to bring it with me when I first started my road trip, before everything went bad. I've got about a thousand books tucked away in the RV."

"What? How?!" T-Dog laughed.

"Magic, son. There's a spell that allows you to shrink things to a fraction of their size and then change them back to their original size when you need them. It's very handy for saving space. I had a wizard friend do the spellwork for me and now when I want to get a book from the shrunken library all I have to do is activate a rune on the book and it'll be big again." Dale smiled as he spoke next. "Course until now it was all just learning about something I couldn't do or use to help us, but if Harry's willing, I'd love to teach him all I know and he can hopefully learn the rest on his own with the books aiding him."

"I think that's a great idea, Dale. Thank you." Rick replied at Dale questioning look. "I think Harry would love to learn about his gift, and if I know Harry like I think I do, he'd dive headfirst into it as a way to help us. That boy's got a _saving people_ thing a mile wide."

Rick could see the Dursleys scowling at the conversation, but ignored it. They'd learn to get used to the fact that not only was magic a wonderful thing, but that it may just keep them alive.

A little less than an hour later, Daryl, Merle and the boys came back with a large catch. There were 4 fat bunnies, 7 squirrels and a couple of birds hanging from the boys' belts. They were grinning and laughing as they made there was over to Rick.

"Have fun boys?"

"Yeah, dad it was awesome!" Carl grinned. "I even got to shoot, I didn't hit the squirrel, but Daryl told me he'd find me a bow and teach me how to shoot."

Daryl blushed at the look Rick gave him, equal parts grin and something more, something softer from the knowledge that the man was helping his boys learn how to protect and care for themselves.

Carol, the sweet, shy woman from the night before who took a pickaxe to her husband's head to make sure he didn't turn, came up to them and volunteered to skin and cook the meat for breakfast. The bruises on her face and arms, some that were clearly old, told Rick that it might have been a good thing that her husband was dead.

The boys handed the meat over and made their way to the fire, starting up a quick conversation with Carol's daughter Sophia and the Morales children as Carl introduced Harry to them.

A little later the group sat around the fire eating breakfast, a meal of stew made out of the meat they had caught and a few cans of vegetables. Daryl sat beside him, their shoulders and knees touching occasionally as they ate, putting Rick at ease with the simple touches. Carl and Harry sat beside them eating, talking animatedly all the while. It was then that Rick broached the subject of leaving.

"Listen, I know I'm fairly new to this group, but I think I need to say this. Daryl and I were talking last night and it became clear that this spot just isn't safe. I think it might be best if we went on the road and tried to find a place that is safe, secure and big enough for us to really start preparing for the long haul with a garden, animals, and so forth. What do ya'll think?"

"I actually have been thinking about that for a while, I just didn't know how to ask." Dale said with a nod of his head.

"It would be smart for us to find something more secure, it's just, how long would it take to do that?" Andrea frowned.

"Well, right now we have the benefit of fairly good weather, some hunters who can help supply us with food and the ability to go out for supply runs while we search, but in a few months time the weather is going to start getting colder and a few months after that winter will set in. Supplies like canned food and so forth is only going to last for so long now that there isn't a new influx of factories making more. Now's the time to really start looking for a place and settle in before we find ourselves stuck in the dead of winter with hardly any supplies, no real secure shelter and a world full of walkers at our heels."

"We need to head to Fort Benning, the military's got to be getting this shit taken care of and it's going to be secure, you know it Rick." Shane injected, his words firm and more command than question.

"That's over a hundred miles away, Shane, I'm not saying it's out of the running, but there are probably at the very least a few secure places between here and there. Besides, every military base or outpost I have seen so far was overrun. Not just over run, but it looked like people flocked to them and they're infested with these things." Rick shook his head at Shane's scowl. "I just don't think it's a good idea to put all our eggs in one basket, especially knowing the military and government folded like a deck of cards shortly after the virus went worldwide."

Shane got up and stomped away, cursing under his breath as he walked.

"I think you've got a good idea, I'm sure we can find something to make a home at." Dale said finally after the tense silence. Looking at Andrea and Amy he then turned back to Rick. "The girls and I are in."

Andrea and Amy nodded their heads. Slowly but surely the rest of the group agreed, except for the Dursleys who had taken their food without a word of thanks and went to their own tent to eat, Vernon grumbling the whole time about eating vermin and so little of it.

"Okay, that settles it then. Let's finish our meal and then pack up and get on our way." Rick grinned as the rest of the group went back to talking about what kind of place they needed and just how long it would take to find it.


End file.
